Heart-shaped watermelons in Japan
May 10th, 2009 by James
A store in Fukuoka is selling heart-shaped watermelons:
The unusual fruit is the invention of Hiroichi Kimura, a farmer from Kumamoto, and his wife. The couple said they had tried for three years to create the perfectly heart-shaped fruit, which they say symbolizes their passion for farming and their affection for each other.
Apparently they are being sold for a price 15,750 yen ($160) each.
[via JapanSoc dot com]
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of for crying out loud, can`t people find anything useful to do with their time and money.
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There’s a market for novelty shaped watermelons, ergo, it has monetary value. I don’t see how it’s not “useful”.
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HERE HERE!
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I suggest you do some reading on the distinction between use value and exchange value, for example in Marx’ Capital.
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That is just…wrong. And only in Japan!
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Haha cute but so expensive…
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Very nice, I’m impressed!
and taste nice probably too. I like this form much more than cubes.
Why is so wrong?, I think it’s nice, and really nice shaped, look at the picture, mmm…..so nice shapes,
Watermelons in Japan is very nice present, and I do not see any wrong, if it has heart shape. Good luck with selling.
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sick Japanese why they are obsess for modify the nature
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what?
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We also mow the lawn, prune our trees, and breed our rice too! Mwahahahah!
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$160 for a watermelon?!?!
you’d think with this global recession ppl would be more practical with their money… -.-
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Sometimes I just cant help feeling Japanese like to pay for fruit, while the rest of the world likes to EAT fruit.
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Now, I wonder what it looks like inside…
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OMG! that price is just really ridiculous. How could you even justify that?
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I’ve seen much, much pricier fruits in Japan… and much, much pricier gifts for girls… although I can’t imagine giving my girlfriend a watermelon as a present, be it heart-shaped or not.
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What are you suggesting they’d do? Do you know how rare it is to have watermelons in Japan? Let me tell you from experience, it is extremely rare. And to have it in a specific shape is convient to the customer buying it. Watermelon in Japan isn’t something they’d happen to buy because it was a part of their grocery list. It is used more like a summer time gift for a friend, family or in this case a person your having a relationship with.
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I can’t say that it’s too surprising. I mean the square watermelons were just as high. I haggled for a medium sized square melon for about the equalivalent of $96. I ended up giving it as a present to a Japanese co-worker. She was about to refuse it because it was so expensive, but I incessed(mspl). (*)Frmmy experience watermelon comes only during the summer months and is used as more of a gift then a typical grocery item.<—(hint hint) Even during the summer the supply is quite limited.
So, for all those that don’t know…not every 1st world country has the luxury of having certain fruits throughout the year. YOU PEOPLE REALLY NEED TO READ UP ON JAPAN BEFORE YOU JUDGE IT!
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cool
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Luv it. I grow apples and pumpkins with peoples names or designs on them. Maybe I’ll try shapes next. Who says gardening is boring lol.
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160$ : you eat it you poop it. Haha. With any luck, it’ll go out heartshaped as well.
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Alrighty, firstly I’d like to clear this up for those who are a tad misinformed. This watermelon was made by a simple process that doesn’t change any of the genetic composition of the melon. I mean, that’s ridiculous. You can’t just have a melon grow into a perfectly shaped heart. It doesn’t work that way.
Its made by getting a re-enforced glass box and placing the young melon in it while it is still on the stem. The stem comes out the top and the watermelon grows to fit its environment. THAT is what we call NATURE. It would happen the same way if you placed a watermelon on a rock as it grew. It would morph around the rock due to its growing and gravity.
There’s not sick about that at all.
You can make square watermelons, triangles, heck. Obviously you can even make a heart. I bet if you made a glass container in the shape of a star we could have star watermelons. They taste exactly the same as any other watermelon. The only difference is the shape.
Now, for the “use”. Its still food. It can be eaten. The seeds can be planted, and they in turn can grow into larger plants.
There for, it still feeds you. Thus it has a use.
Second, it helps support the economy. Novelty items are always silly, at least this one can be eaten. People who actually want these will buy them and eat them. The person they bought it from shall get the money and they can spend it on whatever else they want. It simply makes for a healthy economy.
As for a practical use, I can’t very well find one for a “heart” shaped watermelon. However, the whole reason they started making efforts to change the shape was to help conserve space. The box watermelon was made that way so that it would fit better in the fridge and would make our lives easier.
If you have an issue with this because its “changing nature” try looking up something else that actually changes there genes and what not. Like spider thread being changed so that its stronger. You should really worry about that if you have an issue, not about watermelons simply growing to fit their surroundings.
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ya…..its not an bad idea in dis valentine season to grow a heart shaped melon…theres nothing wrong doing it as a experiment…
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